The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-03-17

Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, d. G., Mar. IL, 1887.

WASHINGTON, d. G., Mar. IL, 1887.
Although the marble halls of the
Capitol were deserted by our law +
makers q week ago, many of them still =
niger in Washington, and will con-
,inue here for months to come. The
northern Representatives are loath TO
leave the mild climate of the Capital
1T this season of the year. and are al
ways disposed to remain here, Con
gress or no Congress, until, as one of
of them remarked, lit thaws out at
home"
The air is still full of extra session
talk. Democratic members of Con-
gress and others who have means of
knowledge on the subject, do not now
believe that the Fiftieth Congress will
be called together soon, but that an
extra session in the early autumn is
an evil that ought to be faced.
The, House of Representatives that
was elected in November last, entered
upon its official existence on the 4th
of this month, and its members are
now under pay. They are doing no
service and without Organiz alton are
incapable of doing any. 1t is not un
til they have assembled, elected
speaker, and been arranged into COM
mittees, that they can enter upon the
work of legislation, If Congress does
not meet until the usual time in De
cember. in the light of many prece
dents, little or nothing can be expect
cd of 1t until the beginning of next
year, for it is we'll known that no Con-
gress has attempted 10 do any real
work until after the holiday recess.
| An extra session is always unpOpu
lar and the. President is anxious. of
course, to avoid it if possible, but in
order that some of the important leg
islation to come up during the next
year may be matured in time, it is
thought to be the only alternative.
Those whose counsel is frequently
sought at the White House now say
that the contemplated extra session
would begin about the first of October
and run along into the regular session
and that the questions of revenue and
taxation would receive attention first
Another reason why it is deemed
expedient to make the tiftieth Con
gress take advantage of extra time il
the fact that the next year will be de
voted largely to President making
Although it seems but yesterday since
Mr.. Cleveland was inaugurated, ye
only fifteen months from now will tb'
National Convention be held to nom
mate his successor. The two grea
parties in Congress, when they assem-
BILE after the holiday recess, will b,
eurcharged with politics, and ever.
movement that is made at either en'
of the Capitol will have more or les
reference to candidates and polite
} and the issues of the ensuing campaign
Between the friends of the Admins
tration on the one hand, intent OIL
! maintaining its credit and vindicatini
B its record, and the opponents of tn
D Administration on the other, eager L
disparage it in the confidence of tn
people-between combinations her
aud combinations there in the interes
of rival aspirants-the Capitol will
partake far more of the character G
an arena of partisan controversy thai
of serious and disinterested labor TO
> the welfare of the country. Consider
ing all this, the friends of the Admin
istration feel that the President woul
be entirely justified in promoting tn
chances of legislation which the put
lie interests demand by the call of a
extra session.
President Cleveland's care and il
= dustry in reading all bills, great an
small, and examining them PERSONAL
before signing his name 10 them, hs
= been criticised as an unnecessary as
sumption of labor on the part of th
Chief Executive. 1t is quite certai
Mr.. Cleveland has taken more pain
in this respect than any of his predt
csssors, and it cannot be said that AN
of his assistants ever wrote his signs
" ture to enacted laws. This respons
bility he never delegated to membe
of his Cabinet even in the case of uI
= important bills.
On the 4th of March, 1885, when M
, Arthur aud his Cabinet arrived at tn
;, Capitol and entered the President
room, where, on the tables, in iarg
piles, lay the bills to which his signs
ture was to be affixed, one pen for th
President was not enough. Half
dozen more pens were called for, th
door was locked (the Inauguration ce
emonies were then waiting) and in
" remarkably short space of time ever
one of the bills had Mr.. Arthur's nam
to it. At the State Department whel
they can be examined, the signature
}, to the bills of that date show variet
II of penmanship.